Here's my dilemma: I had to move back to my home in Broken Arrow, OK, where there basically isn't any climbing. There's one gym but the wall is only open at night and that is when I work my job. It is also open on Saturday so I can make it up there every Saturday to climb but that is it. I'm wanting to get in good enough shape to where I can hit 5.11's. Is this possible with only one day on the rock (fake rock) a week? Give me your thoughts PLEASE!

In the fall I was finally pushing grades and worked my way into 11's but I messed up some ligaments in my hand (says the Doc) but I think they are fine now. My biggest problem has always been getting pumped right after the crux and not being able to finish a route cleanly. This is just added info about my climbing. Anyways, let me have it!

Sounds like you are a beginner and made the classic mistake of overtraining (hence the finger injuries). My suggestion is to purchase a copy of the Self Coached Climber and start improving your basic technique before trying to project climbs that could potentially injure your fingers.

It is not optimal, and it would be slow, but at your level it is not impossible to improve with climbing just once a week.

For at least 1.5 year after I first started climbing regularly, I went climbing at the gym once a week, for couple hours. I didn't think that my schedule allowed for anything more at the time, though in retrospect, I could have managed more.

I still got better at climbing, though it could be anyone's guess how much faster I would have gotten to 5.11 if I had been climbing 2-3 times a week from the start.

IMO, there is very little you can do outside of climbing, as a beginner, that would make meaningful impact on your climbing.

There are common-sense things, such as, if you are overweight, taking steps to lose weight will improve your climbing, in the long run.

And anything you do for general fitness, while not climbing-specific, is good for you for many other reasons. So by all means, go running, biking, swimming, do cross-fit, yoga, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

I had been climbing for a year and was onsighting anything in the 5.10 range, but didn't have the endurance to get through the pump in a 5.11, so I decided to purchase a hanging board and injured myself using that incorrectly...

The closest crag is about three hours away in Arkansas to my knowledge. That's where I got into climbing, I was a student up at UA in Fayetteville but I had to take a semester off this spring. I'm going back in the fall but I don't want to have to start all over in the fall, I want to be able to be close to where I was level-wise.

The closest crag is about three hours away in Arkansas to my knowledge. That's where I got into climbing, I was a student up at UA in Fayetteville but I had to take a semester off this spring. I'm going back in the fall but I don't want to have to start all over in the fall, I want to be able to be close to where I was level-wise.

That's within range to drive to every weekend. If you go out there every weekend when the weather is decent and climb at your gym once a week when the forecast is poor, then that should be enough climbing to at least maintain your present level of performance, if not improve it a little.

Awesome, thanks guys. I'm more of a sport climber than anything, so would it be best to go traverse across stuff out there? Also, what if I'm lacking a partner?

Pick up one of the myriad training books - Self Coached Climber, Performance Rock Climbing, 9 Out of 10 Climbers..., How To Climb 5.12, etc, and train wherever you can - Arkansas, Chandler, the gym, whatever. If you have trouble finding regular partners, it's not hard to get better on routes through bouldering. Volunteer or get a part-time gig at the gym and maybe they'll let you use it during off hours.

If you are 30 minutes from Chandler Park, be psyched! Some of the longest bouldering traverses in the United States. Not five star, but you're way better off than being in FL or Louisiana.

Beyond that, yeah, everyone says get the "Self Coached Climber," but a lot of that book assumes you have access to a good gym; I'm not sure what quality the gym you are going to is, but if it is open once a week, it is probably not the best.

So, take a few day trips to Chandler Park, go to the gym when you can, train a LOT of core, cardio, antagonist muscles at home, and find someone to carpool with to AR.

If I were you I'd go there and get that traverse completely wired, back and forth. I'd pick up a crashpad and do some bouldering while there too. I'd emphasize two things:

1) Not getting hurt. If you're by yourself, be very careful about how high you climb, and very aware of how / when you can fall. Learn how to place your pad/s, and how to fall / jump off safely. Ideally, find a bouldering partner.

2) Technique. Once you've figured out a traverse, try to do it more efficiently. Improve your footwork. Try different ways to do the same moves, and see if they feel better.

If you can manage 30 to 60 minutes of focused traversing once or twice during the week plus a good day at the gym on the weekend, you'll improve.